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7 minutes readContents
- What is the Sapporo Snow Festival?
- The 3 Sites for Sapporo Snow Festival
- Things to do at the Sapporo Snow Festival
- Other things to do in Sapporo in winter
- What to know before going to the Sapporo Snow Festival
- Where to stay for the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan
- Book your Sapporo Snow Festival trip with ZenHotels
What is the Sapporo Snow Festival?
The Sapporo Snow Festival began in 1950 when a group of high schoolers built snow statues in Odori Park. This festival has evolved with time to become one of Japan’s largest winter events. Sapporo Snow Festival is considered one of the world’s three major snow festivals, alongside the Quebec Winter Carnival and Harbin Ice Festival. This free winter festival gives you a taste of Hokkaido with local cuisine showcased alongside spectacular snow sculptures and castles.
Photo: Dr_Flash / Shutterstock.com
The 3 Sites for Sapporo Snow Festival
The festival has typically been held across three sites across Sapporo. Odori Park is the main site and exhibits the largest snow sculptures that range up to 15 meters high. These snow sculptures are lit daily until 10pm, brought to life during the different concerts and events hosted throughout Odori Park.
The Susukino site for the festival is nestled in the heart of Sapporo’s entertainment district with over one hundred sculptures. These snow sculptures are lit daily until 11pm with Susukino being just one stop from Odori Park on the subway.
The Tsu Dome Site is where you’ll find the family-focused parts of the festival with snow slides and snow rafting available alongside the traditional snow sculptures. A playground and food stalls are accessible inside the dome, open daily from 11am to 4pm.
Photo: tomoyasu / tripadvisor.com
Things to do at the Sapporo Snow Festival
Snow and ice take center stage during this winter festival – and it’s more than just snowmen. You’ll want to pack your comfiest travel shoes for walking through the snow, especially if you’re planning on taking part in a snowball fight or building your own snowman. The entire Sapporo area becomes a snowy wonderland with something for visitors of every age, including a bar entirely built from ice.
Explore the sculptures along the walking path
Expect to see 40-meter snow sculptures and ornate decorations with a walking path through the exhibits to ensure you don’t miss a single display. Highlights include the Himeji-jo snow castle and a sculpture of Kaiju of Godzilla.
Stop by the Otaru Snow Light Path
Light plays a major role during the festival with the Otaru Snow Light Path illuminating the displays with castles, adding a romantic atmosphere along the Otaru Canal.
Photo: Naoki Higuchi / Shutterstock.com
Many of the snow objects on display around the canal are locally made with many visitors choosing to view the festival from Tenguyama.
Don’t skip the street food
Food is another major appeal at Sapporo with a focus on street food and local delicacies, from corn butter ramen to steamy hot sake, roasted corn, and fresh seafood. Make sure to sample some locally brewed Sapporo Beer to wash it all down.
Other things to do in Sapporo in winter
While the snow festival brings two million visitors to Sapporo in February, there are other things to enjoy in the nearby area.
Photo: 240_810 / Shutterstock.com
Explore the Japanese countryside
Sapporo is the ideal base for exploring the Japanese countryside by getting a JR Hokkaido rail pass.
Attend the Sounkyo Onsen Ice Waterfall Festival
There’s plenty to do in Otaru, from the snow night path to the independent stores along the Otaru Canal with its evening cruises.
Just outside of Sapporo, you’ll find the Sounkyo Onsen Ice Waterfall Festival along the Ishikari River in Kamjkawa Town. It’s a great add-on to a trip to Sapporo with night-time illuminations and ice sculptures.
Photo: visit-hokkaido
What to know before going to the Sapporo Snow Festival
It’s easy for first-time visitors to feel overwhelmed, especially if you’re not used to snow! The festival is easy to navigate, even with the heavy footfall, as Odori Park and Susukino are centrally located with the Tsu Dome Site being just a 15-minute walk from Sakaemachi Station with a shuttle bus operating between the two.
If you want to avoid crowds, explore the festival first thing in the morning between 7am to 9am to enjoy the sculptures in the sun. If you’re planning a later visit, Odori Park and Susukino are quieter after their light displays between 10pm and 11pm. As the Tsudome site is the most popular option for visitors with families, you’ll see fewer crowds on weekdays.
We recommend planning your visit for the start of the festival when the sculptures are freshly completed to see them in their best condition. It’s not uncommon for the snow to look melted towards the end of the festival.
When you’re writing your travel checklist, don’t forget to consider the weather.
Heavy snow and winter blizzards are common in Hokkaido, so you may want to bring more than just a carry-on. If you’re visiting from Tokyo, you can fly into New Chitose Airport, less than 30 miles from Sapporo city center.
Photo: KUROKAWA MOKU / Shutterstock.com
Where to stay for the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan
Like most of Japan, you’ll have a variety of accommodation options to choose from in Sapporo. Rooms do fill up quickly due to the popularity of the festival, but there are plenty of budget-friendly hotels and hostels in the local area. If you’re comfortable taking the subway, staying a few stops away from central Sapporo can help you find more accommodation options.
Here are some of our top hotel recommendations for Sapporo:
1. Best for families
Traveling with kids? This hotel has great accessibility for families with young kids with the staff speaking both English and Japanese.
There’s a paid parking zone for guests traveling by car with an on-site spa center and laundry cleaning facilities.
2. Best for groups
Winter in Sapporo is popular for tourist groups and there are plenty of hostels to choose from for a group booking. If you’d prefer a hotel, you’ll find rooms with larger capacity at La’gent Stay Sapporo Oodori Hookaido. Visitor reviews highlight its breakfast buffer, which opens earlier than most breakfast options in the area, making it ideal for early risers.
Photo by Takafumi Yamashita on Unsplash
It’s just a 10-minute walk from Sapporo Station and is located close to Odori Park and Susukino, making it ideal for visiting the snow festival. There’s a range of restaurants and shops nearby with everything you need within walking distance.
3. Best for budget travelers
If you’re on a budget, capsule hotels and hostels aren’t your only option in Sapporo. The Premier Hotel Cabin Sapporo offers free breakfast with onsen.
You can stock up on essentials at the nearby 7/11 or take the 30-minute walk to Sapporo station to get around the city.
4. Best for luxury travelers
Visitors who want to spend a little more can head to Mercure Hotel Sapporo. Expect a more European style of hotel with larger rooms and additional facilities, including a restaurant serving French-inspired cuisine.
Photo: mercuresapporo.com
You can take the bus from the station across the street straight to New Chitose Airport. It’s an ideal base for the snow festival as the hotel is a 10-minute walk from Odori Park.
Book your Sapporo Snow Festival trip with ZenHotels
If you’ve always dreamt of stepping into an ice castle, Sapporo Snow Festival deserves a spot on your bucket list. This annual festival gets larger every year and is the perfect add-on to a trip to Japan.
Photo: sharonang / pixabay.com
At ZenHotels, we’re here to help make it easy to plan your trip to Sapporo.
Get access to the best rates on hotels in Sapporo and throughout Japan, as well as over 220 other countries with ZenHotels and download the ZenHotels mobile app to access exclusive rates even lower than on our website.
